The Beauty Within

There’s so many variations of the smokey eye look, and all of them look fab when it’s done to fit your eye shape. For me, it’s hard to find good tutorials because my eye shape is just weird.

So today I got my weekly (or bi-weekly) Sephora newsletter, with Bare Escentuals taunting a new Smoky V Eyes kit, complete with a special V shaped “patent-pending” brush, one eyeshadow in a grayish lavender color called Pacific Heights, a bronzy brown called Glimmer in 1990s, and a card with a tutorial on how to apply the perfect Smokey eye.

Now.. I searched online for the tutorial and this is what it says:

• 1. Blend Pacific Heights Eyeshadow all over your lid and up to the brow using the single-pointed precision end of the Double-Ended Smoky V Brush.
• 2. Apply 1990s Glimmer using the V-cut brush end. Align the lower point with the lash base and the upper point with the crease contour. Sweep outward to the corner of the eye, applying color to both areas simultaneously. Repeat until you’re satisfied with the intensity.
• 3. Next, deepen the color of the crease by applying more 1990s Glimmer using the V-cut brush end at an angle to softly blend back and forth along the natural crease contour.
• 4. Apply Pacific Heights Eyeshadow again using the single-pointed precision end to blend and soften above and right below the darker crease contour. Blend the color softly up to the brow for highlight.

This sounds TOTALLY complicated to me, and involves learning how to USE the new brush! I don’t know about you, but when I get a new brush, I use it based on instincts. Oh it’s a bigger size with a round shape - use it to apply color all over my lids. A smaller pointier brush - use it to apply highlighting colors under the brows and in the inner corners of the eye. A small flat-ish brush (ala “smudge brush”), fits perfect in my crease to let me blend in the color.

This V shape requires you to basically requires the space of your crease and your lash line to be exactly the length of the V, or how else can you achieve the look they’re teaching? It doesn’t feel intuitive, so why follow it?

Coincidentally, I decided to go for a smoky look using purple metallic colors today (similar to the BE colors in this kit), and I’ll tell you how I did it.

I used 2 different eyeshadows by Lorac, a silverish lavendar color called Innocence, and a darker shimmery brown color called Reverie.  Now I just used Lorac today because it was available.. (I’m bumming at my sister’s place in Pasadena, so I’m playing around with all her make up.. I love sisters!)

Using a medium size brush, like this one from Sephora , I applied Innocence all over my lids, from my lash line to a bit above my crease. I then used a smudge brush, like this one from Sephora, and applied the darker Reverie on my crease, from my outer corners inwards, only on the outer 1/3 part of my eyes. This makes my crease look deeper. Now if your crease is bigger than mine (and more visible), then apply the color to about 1/2 inward toward your eye.

To make your eyes pop even more, use a slightly shimmery eyeliner, either in a darker shade of purple, gray, or brown, line the top lash line (as close to your lashes as possible), and about 2/3 of your bottom lash line. I used an eye kohl liner from MAC in Teddy to get a softer look. Optional (imo): use a q-tip to smudge the liner to make it look even softer.

Voila.. 3 easy steps using brushes you’re most likely familiar with and already have. Although I linked the brushes over to Sephora, you can get similar brushes at a fraction of the price at CVS/Walgreens/etc. Although the smudge brush might not be available, but it’s not too pricey at Sephora.

I always top of my eye make up with a thick coat of mascara, but again, that’s up to you. I just like putting on so much mascara so that it looks like I’m wearing fake ones (not in the bad way).

Sorry, forgot to take pix of the eye make up today.. and since I just went to wash my car, I look a bit yucky.

Lastly.. there’s so many variations of the Smoky Eye, and also so many new/different looks that you can easily achieve by simply using different colors! I just taught this to my sister, using a soft medium brown color as the base and a darker olive green at the crease, and you know what? She gets compliments at work!

Play around with colors, and beware of kits. Many kits are simply just PACKAGED certain ways to attract your attention, claiming to simply things or to produce fab results. I remember this one 2D-PAGE kit a company sold that included one bottle of DI water, even though DI water is readily available in labs!!! But yea.. they charged suckers for pacakged DI water!!!

So yea.. so much for kits.